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Code of Ethics

This Code of Ethics was adopted by Mizzima journalists in Delhi, India on October 1, 2004.

1. Report the Truth. The journalist shall be committed to reporting the truth. They shall not report groundless accusations or rumors. They shall not exaggerate but honestly interpret all news and information.

2. They shall verify all information. Information from anonymous informants shall not be published, except in the case where the information is of vital importance for the public, and it shall be presented as unverified.

3. They shall be balanced, fair and impartial. The journalist shall not suppress essential facts and shall not distort the truth. They shall not use misleading emphasis so as to distort facts.

4. Plagiarism will not be practiced, sanctioned or tolerated.

5. They shall be independent. A journalist shall remain free from external or internal influence.

6. They shall identify themselves. A journalist shall identify themselves and the organisation they work for. They shall tell people they may be recorded and their words published except in the case of investigating confidential or inaccessible information.

7. Respect privacy. A journalist shall not invade the privacy of an individual especially during time of grief or stress. A journalist shall respect an individual’s private life unless it is in the public interest or the public’s right to know.

8. Correct mistakes. A journalist shall acknowledge and correct mistakes immediately when they have been made.

9. Be honest in dealing with people. A journalist shall be honest in their dealings with people. They shall not set up people in either interviews, situations or photographs. They will not try to entrap people. They shall not create stories or falsify interviews.

10. Information should be gathered in an ethical and lawful way. Payments and bribes for information shall not be made.

11. Identify the source of information. The journalist shall always identify the source of information and obtain permission to use the names and in some cases, details of sources, except in exceptional cases where anonymity is requested. The journalist must honor their word when they have agreed to anonymity for the source.

13. The journalist shall not use professional information for their personal benefit.

14. The journalist shall respect the dignity of all people and shall not violate human rights.

15. The right to information. The journalist has a right and obligation to receive and disseminate information to the public and acknowledges it is one of the major freedoms of the individual to have access to information. The journalist shall view information as free and shall not use it as merchandise or as their own property.

16. The journalist shall not impede another journalist in gathering information, shall not intentionally mislead another journalist, or report on them to the authorities.

17. Neither individual journalists nor separate editorial staff shall settle old scores with each other via mass media. Such behavior harms not only to their reputation but also the prestige and reputation of their profession.

18. Struggle against censorship.

19. Freedom of the press. The journalist shall remain committed to the freedom of the press around the world and shall stand in solidarity with journalists who daily fight for this freedom.